Calling for a cab is a thing of the past — unless that’s your thing.
But City Taxi customers can now hail a cab online, or book one to arrive at a specific time.
The company launched an online service that allows its customer to book a cab online, either at a computer or over a mobile phone. The company has also launched a Facebook page.
The move online is an attempt to keep a competitive edge and to pick up more customers, says owner Joe Corrigan Jr.
“Everybody seems to be texting all the time or using their phones and computers for everything, so we thought it would be a good idea to get into social networking.”
CLICK HERE FOR CITY TAXI'S WEBSITE
The service is simple. A customer connects to the online cabstand and enters in their pick-up and drop-off locations, phone number and a time when they’d like the cab to arrive.
Once a cab is hailed online, a pop-up is sent to City Taxi’s dispatch. A reply text or email is then sent to the customer to confirm their cab was booked.
The whole process takes less than a minute. Customers who use the online service can be sure their request will be received and a cab will be on the way, said Corrigan.
“When you book a cab it shows up in red and dings every 10 seconds until we send you a message back,” he said. “Once we respond, it turns from red to black with a checkmark (and we know) it has been dealt with.”
This move online comes four years after the taxi company lost its Prince Street headquarters to a fire that destroyed half a city block.
“We never stopped when the fire happened,” said Corrigan. “Most of our drivers have been around a long time, so we had certain calls we got every morning. The drivers took it upon themselves to go to those places and wait for their customers.”
They had their phone number forwarded to a cellphone and set up a temporary base at Island Mobile on Walker Drive.
Several hours later the company had a new home at its current location at 195 Kent St.
Now City Taxi is the first local cabstand to make the move online.
“They’re doing really good,” said John Morris, the brains behind the project. “This is a new idea for the Island. I’m sure it exists in other cities, I just haven’t seen it locally.”
Morris brought the idea forward when the company talked about setting up a website.
He also helped them create a Facebook page, an important step for any business, said Morris, who owns web development company Morris Code.
“It helps build customer and brand loyalty. The younger generations are into Facebook and texting with their phones, so that’s where the big benefit are going to be.”
To get attention online, the company plans to give away a pair of U2 tickets once its Facebook page reaches 1,000 fans.
And that's my concern. If it takes me an hour to get through now, how long is it going to take if they're now going to look at the online requests first? Not all of us have iPhones or Blackberry's where we can put the request online.